COVER STORY - "Protection for all our children."
By Chris Welbourne.

Once considered a rare perversion, we now know that abuse of children and adolescents (in its various forms) is tragically common. In Australia a child is abused every 13 minutes.” With these words, Bishop Michael Malone began his homily at the opening and blessing of the Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Child Protection and Professional Conduct Unit.

The occasion was celebrated with a liturgy at St Paul’s Church Rutherford during National Child Protection Week.

The church was comfortably full with representatives of the NSW Professional Standards Office, the Department of Community Services, the Catholic Schools Office, Centacare, clergy, religious, school personnel, students and members of the diocesan community.

Bishop Michael said of the new unit, “I wish it were not necessary but sadly it is.” In his homily he also mentioned that with sexual abuse “most offenders are known and trusted by the victims. The damage is typically done by those who have a duty to protect them – parents, friends, teachers and even priests. This must stop! When a priest or religious brother or sister is guilty of sexual abuse the effect on the church is devastating. An enormous breach of trust takes place and all church personnel are tainted by it. Much of our mission as church involves children and families. That is why it is so important for the church to try to create a safe environment for all children in its care and to make sure that church personnel are well trained in handling cases. While justice must always be done, it must be combined with compassion and sensitivity.”

Appropriately, children figured prominently in the opening. Students from St Paul’s Rutherford and St Joseph’s Campus, All Saints College read refl ections on aspects of their school communities. Through movement and dance, students interpreted the music and words of Voices that Challenge:

Call us to hear the voices that challenge, Deep in the hearts of all people!
By serving your world as lovers and dreamers,
We become voices that challenge!
For we are the voice of God!

Even when young people were not actively involved, they were still the focus of the liturgy. The responses were from Isaiah 49 including the comforting assurance “Even if a mother should forget her baby I will never forget you.”

The gospel from Matthew 18 warned, “See that you don’t despise any of these little ones.” Before the ceremony concluded, Bishop Michael commissioned and blessed the personnel of the Diocesan Child Protection and Professional Conduct Unit: Helen Keevers (manager), Anne Gleeson, Renee Tyczynski and Debby Wettig.

The concluding hymn Let us build a city of God/ May our tears be turned into dancing/ for the Lord our light and our love/ has turned the night into day reflected the theme of the liturgy – there have been dark deeds but there are now systems in place to try to prevent them. There are measures to support those who have been victims in the past, to assist their healing and to help them work towards a brighter future.

To contact the Diocesan Child Protection and Professional Conduct Unit, phone (02) 4928 7800, fax (02) 4928 7899 or email or view their webpage.

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